posted 03-09-2004 09:11 AM         

Well at 2 weeks she will be a few days aways from being 6weeks. I went to an obedience trial sunday and i was talking to a woman who has 3 labs (2 obedience 1 agility) and she says to get the pup at 6wks if i want her for obedience (which i do) and not to take a pup 8wks or older.

She told me that at 6wks you can mold your dog your way (i.e. not hitting, proper correction) That pups at 8wks or older have probly already started some sort of training and that it may involve hitting which she said is a big no no cuz the dog will be hand shy and no good in the obedience ring.

I was wondering if it would affect her in anyway to bring her home at 6 weeks? I plan to finish her vaccinations asap and start socializing and training so she will not miss out on socialization. And at 4 months I plan to take her to her first obedience trial (not to compete of course) so she can meet well trained dogs, and to another trial at 10 months to see her work her magic.

posted 03-09-2004 09:42 AM         

If you are worried about the breeder hitting the puppies as part of their "training" then perhaps you need to find another breeder.

I can't understand people who say that between 6-8 weeks your puppy will be "ruined" if you don't take it home with you. I say longer with mom and litter is better.

Nala was about 14 weeks when we brought her home from the shelter. I am SO thankful that she was with littermates at the shelter, or we would have a TON more problems with her. Her training is progressing just fine. I don't see why she couldn't be an obedience dog if I wanted to do that, except that she is a mix.

posted 03-09-2004 09:56 AM         

As for the training the puppies get from me is as follows....

Toilet training but will need to be re-taught when going to there new homes as the area will be different from where they are used to going.

They also know sit, lie down, Roll over, they even give there paw when asked.
They are given a set feeding times and play times which would also have to be change by the new owner to fit around there work and stuff.

I never have and never would hit a puppy and the breeders or owners that do this to there animals should not be allowed to have animals.

Training any animal does not need force or any form of abuse time and patience is all that is needed.

But i do not beleive in a pup being taken away from its mother before it is 8weeks old.
The longer they with there mother the better.
Also i think breeders that are willing to let the puppies go at 6weeks old are in a rush to find them homes as they no longer can cope with the mess a litter of puppies makes and believe me i know about the mess but still 8-10weeks is better the oldest puppy of mine to goto a home was 18weeks.

posted 03-09-2004 11:12 AM         

Most people think the best age to get a puppy is 6 weeks - WRONG,WRONG,WRONG! Between 7 and 9 weeks is the best time and here's a couple of well-researched reasons why.....(most of this is from research done by the Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc.)

Puppies have 4 critical periods of development between birth and 16 weeks (4 mos) of their lives. What happens to them during these 4 mos. determines what kind of companion they will become and shapes their character for the rest of their lives!

Birth to 21 days (3 weeks) - during this period the puppy's brain is mostly reactionary in that the brain is developing neural pathways. During this time the mother and her milk are most important. The puppy needs adequate food, the stimulation it gets from the mother licking it and the warmth it gets from mom and it's littermates. By three weeks (21st day) the puppy's brain has taken on adult brain form and the puppy can toddle around, blink, hear, eliminate without mother's stimulation and begin to explore it's immediate surroundings. They begin to try to play with their siblings and mother.
3 weeks to 7 weeks (49th day) - During this period puppies learn canine socialization and learn dominance order - most important in training and getting along with other dogs! This is a time of rapid development, both physically and mentally.

From 21-28 days (4 weeks) is especially crucial and should the puppy be separated from its mother and littermates at this time it would be so emotionally upsetting that the puppy will never be compensated in life for the loss of interaction of its mother and littermates.

Characteristically, puppies weaned at 4 weeks are a training nightmare because they never get the connection between a reward or correction and what they were doing at the time. (For example, the dog grabs your sandwich and you yell "NO". It will not understand why you are saying no, nor why it is unacceptable to grab what it wants.) Between 4 and 5 weeks is when the puppy becomes aware of its surroundings and littermates and discovers when it bites too hard on one of them or Mama Dog - it gets corrected by Mama or the littermate bites back - hard! They learn to play bite at an acceptable level for their playmates. This is important to us because we can then teach them not to bite or nip us....they will learn that we are rather delicate creatures by puppy standards! :-)

Canine socialization is so important for a puppy to be well-adjusted. A puppy needs contact and interaction with it's mom and littermates to learn doggy social graces, such as how to approach another dog, how to show submission and how to initate play. A puppy weaned at 5 weeks is characterically aggressive towards strange dogs. Some people call this "Dog aggressive", but it is basically caused by the dog not knowing how to approach or be approached by a another dog. Mothers discipline pups and teach them as well....this is as important in dogs as it is in human children.

A puppy weaned at 6 weeks may have the social skills but will not have all the self-confidence in itself as it would after 7 weeks. This is extremely important in a service dog or a dog you want to take responsiblity for you, your home and property.

49 to 84 days ( 7 weeks to 12 weeks)- By the 49th day a puppy is neurologically complete...it has an adult brain, but no experience! (Kinda like you were when you got out of school and tried to find a job - couldn't get a job because you lacked job experience.:-/ ) A good breeder will handle their pups daily, from birth, because during this time it is critical for someone to give it affection and guidance so the puppy will be willing to form attachments to people and learn to trust humans. Puppies must get one-on-one socialization with a human at least once a week to develope as an individual.
12 - 16 weeks - This is a great time for play training to become more serious and when human and dog decide who is boss. A dog's character for life is formed between 4 weeks to 16 weeks. No matter how good inherited character traits are, if puppies are not given proper exposure, they will never be as good a dog as it could have been. There is NO way to go back and make it up to a dog is later life for failures at this age. A dog without socialization prior to 16 weeks does not develope as an individual with self-confidence in its self

posted 03-09-2004 11:21 AM         

But I in no way was claiming that the breeder hits his pups, just saying that the woman i spoke to told me that the pup could be trained in ways that i did not agree with.

posted 03-11-2004 09:08 AM         

The breeder that you are going through has 3 litters at once, is that right? or is it 2? I'm a little confused....

Sounds like you found the one you want! Good luck to you and have tons of fun!!!

posted 03-11-2004 03:40 PM         

He handles the breedings, and his wife, him and his 18 year old daughter all work with the dogs. He has the time, facility and love to care for these dogs. It is alot of dogs but goldens are usually big producers. Theres a 1st time female, she has 9 pups, another has 6 and the other has 10.

posted 03-12-2004 11:23 AM         

It sounds like he just found the right sire for all three dogs at the same time. Or perhaps he'd rather breed them all at once - as long as he has the time and enough people to raise them properly, it sounds okay.

posted 03-12-2004 09:29 PM         

I would have to have a very good reason to breed a bitch more than 3 times in her life, and I wouldn't do it every year. While, showing, working, AKC reg. is all encouraged with breeding it doesn't make someone reputable nor mean they aren't still breeding indiscriminately. Between my job, own dogs, and raising ONE litter at once - that is exhausting enough. I couldn't imagine multiple litters as there is no way there is enough time to give each individual puppy the adequate attention & socialization that is much needed for raising sound dogs. And I just don't see the point of needing to produce so many dogs. Especially if the breeder has told you goldens are "big producers". That doesn't make any sense. It really only takes one good sire and dam to achieve health, temperament and type. A true breeder breeds only to keep something for themselves, not just to add puppies to the pet population. If this is the breeders full time job - therefore needing to enlist the help of his daughter, this is breeding as a source of income. Something greatly discouraged among reputable breeders and breed clubs. Sometimes these breeders do not know any better (or we're brought up to think of dogs in terms of livestock), it doesn't mean they are bad people, plenty of them are super nice and likable (that's what makes it so hard) but it doesn't justify breeding so many dogs. Ultimately its up to you and your conscience if you wish to support this type of breeder.

posted 03-13-2004 05:38 AM         

But the 3 litters he has currently, one bitch is a show dog, the other 2 i dont know. I have examined the puppies on numerous ocassions (I am going back today) and he never seems to mind, he shows me his dogs with great pride.

The pups are super friendly, very active and playful, are in process of getting shots. He is very sweet to the pups and everyone helps out.

posted 03-13-2004 05:58 AM         

I had been introduced to this breeder when I first moved to Puerto Rico, in my search for a good dog. I expected a backyard breeder with no concern for the dogs what so ever, because many "breeders" here are like that. What I found truly surprised me. He has outside kennels for the dogs, but his dogs are kept IN the house. He had no puppies available at the time, and said he didnt know when he could be expecting pups because his girls were all very busy.

posted 03-13-2004 08:12 AM         

Bowls, collar, leash, bed, treats.

Friday im going to get her a crate, puppy food, an id tag and brushes. What kind of brush should I start her off with?

Oh yea, ive got a doggy toothbrush (2, the finger kind and the big dog kind) toothpaste, and today im going to get these drops that help with house training and multi vitamins

One last thing, I forgot: About the crate, would it be ok to get her a size crate she will be using when she is full grown? I would be dividing it and making it bigger as she grows

posted 03-13-2004 11:08 AM         

quote:

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Well the 3 golden girls that have pups this is the status on them: 1 is a first time mom the other one was bred a year ago and the other one a little over a year ago.

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You may wonder what all this has to do with taking your puppy home early and my take is that puppies well handled and raised at home with littermates and mom until 8 weeks are often more confident, have a better ability to handle stress, are more social and less likely to be fearful as they grow. This isn't the only factor, thankfully, genetics and temperament and continued handling ALL have a role in development, and they are after all, goldens .

posted 03-14-2004 02:01 PM         

Well what we are planning to do is neutraly introduce them. Maybe tomorow take her over and let her look at the puppy from a distance and investigate her if she wants. With a young puppy she will look from a distance, bark and run away, keep up the routine until curiosity gets the best of her. At this point she will sniff, run away, sniff run away until she eventually plays or ignores them all together. Its kind of funny.